After the Storm
by ktpx
Summary: The key to a strong relationship can be as simple as a strong friendship. This is a story of Lily and James, how they became friends, how they became more, and all the moments in between.
1. Chapter 1

Sitting at the end of her bed, pulling at the loose threads of her quilt, Lily realised she had never before felt quite so alone. Her friendship with Severus was irrevocably damaged. The marauders had all been indisputably avoiding her after the show down at the lake. The girls from the dorm, Marlene and Mary, had tried to be sympathetic, but she felt unreasonably bristled by their pitying glances, and their polite refusal to say 'I told you so' to the humiliating annihilation of her friendship with Sev.

And worst of all, it was time to return home. Summer had arrived, a welcome relief to many that signalled the end of OWLS, and the beginning of several weeks of freedom. But to Lily, the summer was most unwelcome. It was strange to think that home had become such a foreboding place. But with the death of her mother earlier this year, and the deep depression that her father had nurtured in her mother's absence, as well as the crumbled ruins of her relationship with Tuney, home felt like a shrine to loss, and to pain. Not to mention that this would be her first summer without Sev. She wondered what he was doing now. Was he sitting at home, pining for her and their lost friendship? Lily doubted it very much. After all, what value would an aspiring death eater place upon the friendship of a mudblood?

She dragged herself up off the bed, and walked over to her desk, where her owl Merlin sat in his cage, hooting softly for affection. Lily both laughed and cringed at the name now, but Merlin was bought for her when she was 11, on her first trip to Diagon Alley, and so had been named as a gesture of appreciation to the world she was about to enter. With Sev's departure from her life, Merlin the owl was now her longest standing friend from the magical world, she supposed.

She sat down at the desk, picking up her previously abandoned quill. She knew she should write to her friends, reach out and check up. And yet, it was difficult to know how to break the ice, who to reach out to first. She decided on Remus. While he was unlikely to be her biggest fan right now, she knew that Remus would nevertheless try to put her at ease. Not only that, but he was a Marauder, he was guaranteed to have a story or two that could cheer her up.

 _Dear Remus,_

 _I hope you are having a good summer so far. Have you been up to much? I have just started reading the NEWT Defense against the Dark Arts book, which was perhaps a little premature considering we've not had the OWL results yet, but it had turned out to be a fairly interesting book so far! I hope that's a good sign for the content of the course! I wonder who will be our teacher next year? All bets are on!_

 _I'm having a very dull summer so far. My family are hiding away, so I'm feeling deprived in human interaction! If you're free at all, it would be lovely to see you. Perhaps we could take a trip to Diagon Alley, or even muggle London?_

Lily wondered if this would be a good time to mention Potter. Perhaps she should ask if Remus how Potter was doing? Or would that be strange? Her and Potter had certainly never been close, and yet she felt compelled to find a way to repair the damage of last year, to take back her harsh words from the lake. Perhaps she should just let the dust settle.

 _I'm missing you and Hogwarts both very much. I hope the moon treats you gently next week, I'll be thinking of you._

 _Love,_

 _Lily x_

She attached the letter to Merlin's leg, and then suddenly stopped. "Hold on a sec" she instructed the owl, then hopped up and disappeared out of the room. Maybe five minutes later she reappeared, holding a bar of honeycomb chocolate. "Now Merlin", Lily said. "I know this is going to be a little heavy for you, but it's Remus' favourite, and it's only available in muggle shops so I'm going to need you to carry it to him, alright?". She lay the chocolate bar flat against the letter and conjured a long red ribbon which she used to tie them together. "There you are, ready to go. Fly safe". And with that, the owl took off.

It was a couple of days before Lily heard back from Remus. It was 10am on Thursday morning, and Lily was sat having breakfast with her family, when Merlin swooped in through the open kitchen window. "G'mornin owl" grunted her Father through a mouthful of toast. Petunia, meanwhile, was far less composed about the arrival of the bird at the breakfast table. "For heavens sake, Lily, do you really have to be so obnoxious about everything!?" she shrieked. "Can't we just have a _normal_ breakfast like _normal_ people without you making a scene of the most basic things!? The postman is due in half an hour, did you really have to use an _owl_ ". Lily rolled her eyes. "Look Tuney.." she started. "Oh don't bother Lily, I don't want to hear about your freak habits!" and with that, she flounced away.

Lily glanced nervously at her Father, wondering how he would react to the ongoing feud. But he merely continued to eat his toast, unfazed by the bickering of his daughters. Lily took Remus' letter from the owl's leg, opening it carefully.

 _Dear Lils,_

 _Thanks so much for the chocolate, I love that one! Had to wrestle it from Pete though, he was here when your letter arrived and has a sweet tooth that could rival mine! I'm going to save it for the day after the full moon, it'll make a great pick me up._

 _Sorry to hear your summer is disappointing so far, but fear not, the Marauders are always well equipped with a plan. This Saturday, the four of us have an adventure planned, and it has been agreed that you are most welcome to be an honorary Marauder for the day, since your letter sounded like you are quite in need of a little mischief._

 _Let me know if that sounds like something you fancy, and if so then get the Knight bus to mine Saturday morning, the adventure starts there! No worries if not though Lils, we can do something next week, either before or after the full moon!_

 _Missing you, I hope you're okay. I know this summer will be a tough one for you what with your mum and everything, but we're all here if you ever need anything._

 _Love Remus_

Lily read Remus' letter over several times, trying to decide how she would respond. Lily and Remus had always been close, particularly since she discovered his secret at the end of third year, and Remus had always been a great friend, loyal and considerate. The warmth and supportiveness of the letter was therefore unsurprising. However, what was surprising was the involvement of the other Marauder's in Remus' plans to cheer her up. Her and Peter had always got on well enough, and even Sirius had won her round with his easy charm and quick wit. But her relationship with Potter was a different matter. She could admit that he was funny, that he was charming and intelligent. But he was also arrogant, petty, and unaware of his own privilege, and it was these qualities that constantly ignited their battles. The Marauders could all be as bad as one another at times, but it was easier to justify the behaviour of the others. Lily found James difficult to tolerate, and it showed, and so she was left wondering why she was being invited to join them on their trip out.

Perhaps, she thought, James felt guilty about what happened at the lake too. Maybe it wasn't just her that wanted things to be better. Their relationship had always been heated, but the day at the lake had been different somehow. Irritating each other was habitual but hurting each other was an unfamiliar territory. Perhaps this was intended to draw a line under things.

Lily walked up to her room with the letter in her hand, leaving Merlin to beg her father for scraps of toast. She sat down at the desk, and thought about how to respond. She wanted to go, but the plan felt intimidating, and she wasn't sure she was ready to face all four marauders at once.

 _Dear Remus,_

 _Thank you very much for the invite._

 _I'll see you Saturday._

 _Love Lily x_

She picked up the letter and headed downstairs, where she was surprised, and a little disgusted, to see her father was feeding Merlin raw bacon. Disrupting their bonding session, she tied the letter to Merlin's leg before she could change her mind, and off he flew.


	2. Chapter 2

For the next few days, Lily tried not to think about her upcoming day out with the Marauders. She distracted herself with reading, and encouraging her father to walk down to the park with her, where she and Severus used to hang out. She cooked a little, and wrote to Marlene to ask about her summer. But all in all, Lily felt her week was left on standby, in nervous trepidation of Saturday.

By Friday night, Lily was entering full blown panic mode. She wasn't sure why the trip felt so anxiety inducing. After all, she had been to London before, and had lived with the Marauders for the past five years. But socialising with the Marauders, or more specifically James Potter, was not in her comfort zone. She didn't know how to be his friend, how to be relaxed or easy going around him. When she was with James, Lily always felt like her worst self. She knew that wasn't necessarily James fault, but she envied the ease with which he travelled through life and resented him for it. His shameless flirting didn't do much to help his cause either, particularly in front of an audience. Nevertheless, Lily didn't have an abundance of people in her life right now, and she had to admit that it was considerate of the Marauders to invite her out with them.

Lily woke up early Saturday morning, which was unusual for her, and in a rather lively mood. She padded barefoot to the kitchen, making herself a cup of tea, as well as one for her father and Tuney. She took the drink to her father, who opened one bleary eye and smiled, before falling back to sleep, cup of tea forgotten. When Lily went into Tuney's room, she was surprised to see her sister already awake, sat upright in bed reading, still with neat curlers in her hair. "Morning Tuney, brought you a brew", she chirped.

Petunia eyed her wearily. "Oh, I see, thank you. Why?"

"Well", Lily hesitated, "I was up and making myself one anyway, so I thought you might want one".

"What I meant was, why are you awake so early? You're not seeing that Snape boy are you? Because honestly Lily he's absolutely-"

"I'm not seeing Severus!" Lily interrupted snappishly. "I told you, we're not friends anymore, I don't have anything to do with him."

Petunia almost smiled at that. "I see. So why are you up so bright and breezy?"

Lily paused, unsure of what answer would be considered acceptable to Petunia. _School friends or boy, which was a safer answer?_ "I'm seeing a boy, a erm, friend. Well, I mean, I'm going to London for the day."

Petunia noticed Lily's fumble, and immediately pounced. "A boyfriend!? Gosh, perfect Lilykins messing around with boys, there's a turnout for the books. I suppose he's a freak as well?"

"What, no! Not a boyfriend, just a friend. Friends. Plural, a group. Honestly Tuney, there's nothing going on, I'm just going out for the day with my friends."

But it was too late, like a dog with a bone, Petunia was unrelenting. "I can't wait to tell Dad you've got a boyfriend, a secret one no less!"

Lily sighed, debating whether or not to continue her protestations. She decided against. "I'm going to go and finish getting dressed now Tuney, I'll see you this evening".

"Wait Lily!" Petunia cried, "If you're going on a date, then let me help you get ready, you know, since mum's not here."

Lily stopped. She knew she should try and stop this date nonsense escalating any further. She also knew that she did not want to turn up to for a casual day out as dressed up as Tuney would undoubtedly leave her. But this was the first time in perhaps years that Tuney had asked her to do something together, and Lily had desperately missed her sister.

"Thanks Tuney, that would be nice." And with that, Petunia was off. Wardrobe drawers were flung open, drawers raided, dresser tops pillaged. Lily sat down nervously on the edge of Petunia's bed, and within minutes her sister returned with armfuls of both Lily's and her own clothes.

"I have a few options here for you Lily, but if you have any preferences then let's start with those."

"Red" Lily blurted out.

Petunia raised an eyebrow "Very saucy. Well, there's a red summer dress of mine here you can try"

Lily blushed. "Not sexy red, just Gryffindor red. It's what I always wear".

If Petunia minded the mention of Lily's school, she managed not to let it show. She picked the red summer dress out of the pile, and handed it to Lily wordlessly.

"Erm, thank you. I'll go and try it".

Lily returned a few minutes later, wearing Petunia's dress. Lily had to admit, Petunia had much more of an eye for fashion than she did. Having spent so much time at Hogwarts, Lily was out of touch with muggle trends.

"It fits nicely, do you mind if I borrow this Tuney?" Lily asked.

"Keep it. I hate red anyway."

Lily was thrown. This wasn't like Tuney, not anymore. Perhaps there was hope for their relationship after all.

"I.. Thank you, Tuney. It's lovely."

Petunia gave a small smile. "Come on, lets finish getting you ready".

By the time Lily left the house that morning, she was feeling a little overwhelmed. Sticking her wand out for the Knight Bus, Lily couldn't help but wonder what the rest of her day would hold. She had taken the Knight bus to Remus' house before, to keep him company once last summer, after a particularly painful transformation. Still, Lily was not entirely prepared for the roughness of the journey. By the time she arrived at Remus' house, Lily felt a little unsteady on her feet.

She knocked at Remus' door, anxious to know the day's plans. It was Peter who answered, and with a warm smile he invited her in.

"Remus is just upstairs, he'll be down in a sec" Peter explained. "Have you eaten yet?"

In all the excitement of spending time with Petunia, Lily realised she had entirely forgotten about food. She shook her head.

"Okay perfect! I was going to cook something for me and Remus anyway, so we can all eat together."

Lily smiled. "That sounds great, thanks Pete. I didn't know you liked cooking?"

"Yeah, I've always enjoyed it! It's something nice for me and mum to do together I suppose, since she's not that into quidditch and I don't read 'Witches Weekly'. Don't get much chance to cook at Hogwarts though, for all that time we spend sneaking to the kitchens. Riles up the elves a bit if you start doing their job for them".

Suddenly, Remus arrived in the kitchen, giving Lily a broad grin. "Good morning Lils, it's very nice of you to join us."

"Hello Remus" Lily replied with a smile. "Nice of you to invite me",

Remus' grin widened "Well quite honestly Lily, life just isn't the same without you around, Sirius and James are turning feral without you to reel them in."

"Speaking of those two" Peter chimed in, "are we expecting them for breakfast? I always hate that they never tell us how many to cook for"

"Hell if I know Petey" replied Remus, "all they told me was that they'd floo over around 11 and we could head to the Leaky Cauldron together".

"What time is it now?" Lily asked.

Peter checked his watch, "Merlin, it's 10.30 already! I best get started on breakfast."

As Peter cooked, Lily and Remus sat at the kitchen table, a pot of tea to hand. They quickly fell into easy conversation, about prefect duties, who the next Head Girl and Boy might be, and so on. Lily and Remus had always had a mutual appreciate for their studies, something that the other marauders did not appreciate. Perhaps this was because unlike the others, Remus and Lily's places at Hogwarts had come as a surprise to them, and so were less taken for granted. Or, perhaps they were both simply nerds, who could say?

Peter had not been lying when he said he was a keen cook. The kitchen was full of enticing aromas, and Peter had prepared quite a feast. "I wasn't sure what you liked Lily, so I just did a bit of everything." he explained.

"Wow thanks Peter, this looks amazing" replied Lily

"My pleasure – tuck in!"

As if on cue, Sirius flooed through the fireplace, and swaggered out. "Smells great Wormy, hope you saved me some."

"Wormy?" Lily asked Remus quietly

"Ah, new nickname, it's just a stupid joke, its nothing" he muttered in response.

Before Lily could pursue the topic, James came tumbling out of the fireplace, with decidedly less grace than Sirius. Remus raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Potter, what the hell are you wearing?" he laughed.

James grinned unabashed "These are my muggle clothes, for muggle London" he declared proudly.

"Mate, we've talked about this. If you're choosing muggle clothes, you need to ask Moony for advice, you can't trust a bloody word Pads says." chuckled Peter.

"I'll have you know I chose this outfit myself! And anyway, I wouldn't trust Remus for advice on muggle clothes – look how he's dressed you!" James retorted.

Sirius decided to settle things. "Hey Evans, you spend a lot of time with muggles, what do you reckon?"

Lily paused, appraising James' outfit. It all seemed very… long, clearly having taken inspiration from wizard's robes. He had begun the outfit with jeans, a safe start, but perhaps the only sensible choice. There was also a shirt, which he seemed to have transfigured with the pattern of a golden snitch. On top of that were a pair of braces, a waistcoat, a loose tie, and a trench coat. Lily was struggling to find something diplomatic to say, which was an unfortunate way to begin her fresh start with James.

"It's erm.. well I mean.. it's a lot of clothes you've got on there Potter, and it is summer. Perhaps you don't need to try out all the muggle clothing in one day?"

Despite Lily's lack of approval for his muggle look, James positively beamed. "Right you are Evans! So, what needs to go?"

"Merlin, well. Maybe, ah.. everything but the jeans?"

James wiggled his eyebrows, and Sirius barked out a laugh. Fortunately, Remus was on hand to save Lily from further teasing.

"I think what Lily means is, muggles tend to wear tees, like we all have on, rather than shirts James. The shirt needs to go, it's too formal. I think I have a muggle tee upstairs you can put on, bear with me." He said, hurrying out the room.

But it was too late, James had made his own plan. Off came the trench coat, the tie, the braces, the waistcoat and the shirt, until James was stood, topless and grinning, in Remus' kitchen. "Okay" he said, picking up the shirt, "Lets see what we can make of this!"

"James you can't use underage magic!" Lily exclaimed.

"Ah but you forget, my lovely flower, this is a magical household. The ministry tracks where the magic happens, not who performs it!"

Lily huffed. "Fine, but if they DO notice, you best take the blame, because I already got a warning last summer for transfiguring my mum's teacups into mice!"

James laughed at this, a twinkle in his eye. "Of course Evans, you know me, I love a bit of trouble". And with that, James flicked his wand, and where there once was a rather obnoxious snitch print shirt, there became a light grey tee, with a large snitch printed across the chest. "Better?" James asked, throwing the tee on.

"Much better", Lily replied with a smile. "Although, the snitch isn't very muggle!"

Suddenly Remus arrived in the doorway, a fresh tee in hand. "What isn't very mug-oh! You've made yourself a top. Well, I hope you managed to enjoy breakfast Lils, mines gone cold running round after this clown. Are we all ready to head out?"

After a chorus of agreement, Remus picked up a pouch of floo powder, and offered it to Lily. "Ladies first Lily, you'll be wanting to Leaky Cauldron."

And with that, Lily stepped into the fire.


End file.
